Atlas Shrugged is set within the United States, in a future time period where economic conditions worsen and the rest of the world has transformed into a mire of collapsed socialist "People's States". There is no set time period for the novel, however it is estimated that it is set mid 70's, approximately 15 years after Rand finished the novel. There is no specific place inside the United States where the novel is set, as the location ranges from New York City to random locations in Colorado and the Mid-West.